Leisure Centres temporary closures due to lockdown
Published: 3 November 2020
Following parliamentary approval on Wednesday, all leisure facilities will by law have to close for a month from Thursday, 5 November.
The Council has been operating a staggered opening of leisure centres and services across Exeter since September.
Last month, all of our centres were opened to leisure members initially, with modified services and COVID secure measures in place. Staff have been working hard to operate high quality, safe and enjoyable leisure services in such difficult times, for the industry and the world.
We now have to take a short break from offering services and sessions as we close our centres in line with national measures to limit the spread of coronavirus and protect our communities.
Just like the last lockdown, we will not be charging leisure members for the time we are closed. No November membership fees will be charged, however members usually pay.
Cllr Duncan Wood, Lead Councillor for Leisure and Physical Activity, said: “This latest lockdown announcement will have come as a disappointment for many and we are aware that closing our centres impacts our members, communities, staff and city. We are encouraged, however, by the fact that this is a short, defined period of lockdown until 2 December 2020. We’re not charging our leisure members anything for this month.
“The good news is, we already have all our COVID secure measures in place, all our systems and protocols running smoothly and a body of highly motivated and dedicated staff. We will weather this month and spend the time focusing on how we can support the wellbeing of our staff and communities though this period. We’re looking forward to opening again in a few weeks and seeing people enjoying our indoor facilities again.
“We know how much our members were enjoying getting back into our leisure centres and we are really sorry for the interruption.
“There will be lots of questions regarding the suspension of services and what that means for individuals. We will update our leisure members directly and publish service updates and news as soon as we have it, on our website and social media. In the meantime, take care and stay safe.”